Digestive System Diseases: 15 Signs of Crohn's Disease

Crohn’s disease is one of the inflammatory bowel diseases of the digestive system that cause chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. It mainly involves the small intestine and the colon, but the disease can affect anywhere in the digestive tract.

Symptoms of Crohn’s are similar to those of ulcerative colitis, another form of inflammatory bowel disease, but ulcerative colitis targets only the colon, or large intestine, according to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America.

People with Crohn’s disease can be affected in different areas of the gastrointestinal tract and symptoms can range from mild to severe, the Mayo Clinic reports. There are times when symptoms of Crohn's disease are active and other times when the symptoms do not appear.

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Here are 15 signs of Crohn’s disease:

Persistent diarrhea

Rectal bleeding

Bowel movement urgency

A feeling of incomplete evacuation of the bowels

Constipation because of bowel obstruction

Abdominal pain and cramping

Fever

Fatigue

Loss of appetite

Weight loss

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Night sweats

Loss of a normal menstrual cycle

Mouth ulcers

Inflammation of the skin, eyes, joints, liver or bile ducts

Delayed development in children

Some of these symptoms may indicate different or multiple digestive system diseases.

The Mayo Clinic advises people to see a doctor for these signs, especially if there is a persistent change in bowel habits, abdominal pain, ongoing bouts of diarrhea that aren’t helped through over-the-counter medication, an unexplained fever that lasts for more than a day or two, unexplained weight loss, and blood in the stool.

This digestive system disease commonly occurs between ages 13 and 30 and affects men and women equally, Healthline reports.

Patients can work with their doctor for a treatment plan, which is sometimes difficult to follow because symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases can come and go and make it hard to know what’s working. But staying persistent, keeping track of the symptoms, and communicating with doctors help most people with Crohn’s disease to live normal lives.

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